Plasma weapons
Plasma weapons are a type of energy weapon designed and manufactured by Trident Industries prior to the Trauma. They are distinguished from laser weapons by their use of high-energy matter projectiles rather than high-energy photons. History Plasma weapons were first show to the public as part of Expo '45, along with other Trident developments such as mechs. Some evidence exists that the Eastern Coalition had been making their own progress towards energy weapons prior to Expo '45, but that these programs were abandoned in favour of espionage attempts to acquire Trident techologies. Operation All plasma weapons use a similar form of operation - small power cores, usually in the grip or main body, melt a tiny piece of iron using microlasers. Suspended in a magnetic field, this liquid iron is then bombarded by high-energy particles that cause it to sublimate into a high-energy plasma mass. This mass is then accelerated down the barrel by ring electromagnets and fired. Typical cycle time for a plasma "round" is under 0.1 seconds, although for some applications (especially dreadnought-class weapons, cycle time is considerably higher, due to the greater time needed to generate the required plasma. Models Trident produced three models of plasma weapon prior to the Trauma. A number of experimental, reverse-engineered, or otherwise unusual plasma weapons exist, but these three represent the vast majority. Plasma pistol Intended for use by specialists rather than infantry, plasma pistols fire 1mm iron slugs with an impact temperature of roughly 10,000K. Atmospheric cooling gives these pistols a maximum range of less than 100m. Given the expense and danger of these weapons, they were generally issued on a very restricted basis. Plasma rifle Designed for use by heavy-weapon soldiers in a fire-support role, plasma rifles fire 3mm iron slugs heated to 50,000K. The extreme temperature of slugs required a slower fire rate, and most plasma rifles are limited to 12-15 shots per minute. Plasma rifles were the most common form of plasma weapon designed by Trident, and a near-identical version was deployed by Coalition forces shortly after the Trauma. Most plasma rifles have an effective range of less than 500m. Heavy plasma weapon Two variants of the heavy plasma exist, both of which fire 5mm iron slugs at temperatures exceeding 50,000K. The first, and most common, is designed for use from fixed installations and uses extensive cooling mechanisms to allow a rate of fire exceeding 120 shots per minute. The second, designed to be mounted on vehicles and equipped with a longer barrel, can fire roughly once per second but has an effective range of over 1500m, at which point the slug has lost so much thermal energy that is ceases to be plasma. Limitations Due to the nature of a plasma weapon's projectile, the two major limitations of plasma weaponry are range and rate of fire. An iron slug fired through the air rapidly discharges its heat into the atmosphere, at a rate proportional to the temperature at which it is fired. Once enough heat has been lost, the slug returns to a liquid state and the magnetic field which held it together breaks down. It should be noted that even outside maximum range, it is still a blob of liquid iron travelling at several hundred miles per hour and more than enough to spoil anyone's day. The second major limitation is that of rate of fire. Generating the plasma requires extremely high temperatures and this heat must be disposed of in some way. Most systems use the waste heat as part of the plasma generating process, but all plasma weaponry can be distinguished by the cooling vanes mounted to the main body of the weapon. Heat management is a major area of a plasma-equipped soldier's training. Use by mechs Plasma weapons are not employed by any standard mech, although dreadnoughts and Cloudburner-class titans carry heavy plasma cannons. Category:Technology Category:Weapons